Remember to Take Your Diabetes Medication

Brush your teeth, make your bed and take your medicine. Unfortunately, that routine can fall through for many people suffering from chronic health conditions, such as diabetes. Of course, forgetting to make your bed won't make you sick, but forgetting those daily medications — that's where things get complicated.

According to U.S. Pharmacist, between 43 and 78 percent of patients with chronic conditions remember to take their medications as prescribed. That rate should be higher. For type 2 diabetes sufferers, not following an oral medication regimen can have a negative impact on glycemic control.

How Can a Text Help?

A recent study from the Netherlands looked at ways to improve medication adherence for diabetics using Real Time Medication Monitoring (RTMM) combined with text message reminders. The study included 104 patients, 56 of whom received a text whenever they forgot to take their medicine. The other 48 patients received no reminders.

After six months, patients who received text message reminders took significantly more doses of their medication than those who didn't receive a text every time they missed a dose. Further, researchers concluded that text message reminders greatly improved the precision with which patients followed their prescribed regimen.

Is There an App for That?

If you are struggling to remember to take your diabetes medication, try using one of the many mobile applications built to help, such as Vree for Diabetes or Dosecast (iPhone users) as well as MediReminder (Blackberry and Android users). Keeping up with your regimen is one of the best ways to manage your diabetes.